The Pittsburgh Steelers will be facing an unfamiliar foe in the AFC Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs.
The Steelers (10-7) will host the Houston Texans (12-5) next Monday night at Acrisure Stadium. It will mark the first meeting between the teams since Week 4 of the 2023 season, when the Texans rolled to a 30-6 victory in Houston.
Then, a rookie, C.J. Stroud, passed for 306 yards and two touchdowns, and had a 111.1 passer rating as the Texans led 16-0 at halftime and won easily. Nico Collins had seven receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns, the second one covering 52 yards and closing the scoring.
The Texans outgained the Steelers 451-225 in total yardage and held them to two Chris Boswell field goals. Kenny Pickett started at quarterback for the Steelers and completed 15 of 23 passes for 114 yards and an interception before being benched in favor of Mitch Trubisky.
While Stroud is still the Texans’ quarterback and has led them to the playoffs in each of his three seasons, Pickett and Trubisky are long gone from Pittsburgh. Current Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has faced the Texans five times in his career, posting a 4-1 record.
The Steelers have won three of the last four meetings with the Texans, dating to 2014, and lead the all-time series 5-3. This will be the first time the teams have met in a playoff game.
The Texans come into the postseason on a nine-game winning streak after beginning the season with a 3-5 record. The Steelers have won four of their last five games after having a 6-6 record two-thirds of the way through the season.
Offensively, the Texans rank 13th in the league in scoring, 14th in passing, 18th in total offense, and 22nd in passing. They are second in the NFL in scoring defense and total defense, fourth in rushing yards allowed, and sixth in passing yards allowed.
The Texans’ defense figures to present a challenge to a Steelers’ offense that is 15th in scoring, 22nd in passing, 25th in total yardage, and 26th in rushing. Defensively, the Steelers are 13th in points allowed, 15th against the run, 26th in total yardage, and 29th against the pass.